All posts by Lin Young

Lin Young is a PhD candidate in the English Department at Queen’s University by day, an insatiable theatre-goer by night. She truly loves seeing innovative indie theatre, the strange sort of hole-in-the-wall shows that big companies would never take a risk on. She’s seen plays in basements, gardens, bars, and in old dilapidated houses, to name a few. She’s always on the lookout for the next theatrical experiment in the city, and loves seeing shows that have some quality of fantasy, historicity, or strangeness to them – especially if they involve puppets! She tweets about theatre, comics and the 19th century at @linkeepsitreal.

Week two of the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival is upon us, and we’re counting up our rave reviews from our hard-won list of 149 reviews of the entire (review-eligible) festival! Plenty of those shows have been marked as RAVES by our reviewers, and we’re here today to highlight a few more of them!

What’s a rave, you might ask? Simply put: our reviewer loved it. Sometimes a rave is ‘I’d see that a second, third, fourth time’; sometimes a rave is ‘I’m STILL thinking about this show days later’; sometimes it’s as simple as ‘I had a really fabulous time at this show.’

The Ashes of ForgottenRain is a story about the true indie theatre experience: taking yourself too seriously. It’s a pretentious story about being pretentious. A deep dive into shallow waters. A feminist perspective written by a man. The Ashes of ForgottenRain is a fast-paced, hard-hitting comedy for anyone who loves the theatre and is willing to laugh at themselves for it.

Norman Hussey, co-founder of Missed Metaphor Productions, wrote The Ashes of ForgottenRain as a reaction to his own experiences in the indie theatre world. He takes the piss out of theatre while showcasing his love for it. Missed Metaphor Productions is a company made up of theatregoers, writers, directors, artists, performers, and crew who seek to create and produce original Canadian theatre.

Directed by Jennifer Tarver and performed by actor, writer and knitter Kirk Dunn,The Knitting Pilgrim is a multidisciplinary one-person theatrical experience that uses storytelling, image projection and a one-of-a-kind textile installation called Stitched Glass. The show, which premiered at the Aga Khan Museum’s Auditorium in May, 2019, comes to the Toronto Fringe Festival, performing 10 shows at Bloor Street United Church, Toronto, between July 3-14, 2019, and continues its tour around Ontario thereafter. It tells a story of a journey that you need to experience.

Created by actor, writer and knitter Kirk Dunn, Stitched Glass is a triptych of large hand-knitted tapestries, designed in the style of stained-glass windows, which looks at the commonalities and conflicts amongst the Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The textile masterwork was supported by a Chalmers Foundation grant through the Ontario Arts Council in 2003, and took Kirk 15 years to complete. There is no other knitting project like it in the world.

Kirk and seasoned writer Claire Ross Dunn co-wrote The Knitting Pilgrim, which uses the Stitched Glass tapestries – over 90 pounds of knitting – as its set. The play recounts Kirk’s artistic and spiritual journey of hand-knitting the giant project, and his hope to contribute to the vital conversation about xenophobia, dealing with internal and external strife, and fear of the other.

“The hope behind Stitched Glass has always been to create conversation,” says Kirk, who sought out Christian, Muslim and Jewish consultants to help him research and design the artwork and, more personally, to learn about the feelings and experiences of others. “A conversation between all people – believers and non-believers – who find themselves in conflict. How can we better understand and empathize with each other? Everyone has a unique background, point of view, and experience, and at the same time, many experiences are universal. Focusing on what knits us together, rather than what pulls us apart, is a place to start.”

Kirk Dunn’s stage credits include Billy Bishop Goes to War (Ergo Arts Theatre, Carousel); Merlin and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (YPT); Dads! The Musical (Charlottetown, Stirling, Drayton); Romeo and Juliet (Ford Centre); More Munsch (The Grand); The War Show, A Flea in Her Ear, Don’t Dress for Dinner, and The Affections of May (Drayton). Kirk has been knitting since 1988, and designing since 1995. In 1998, he apprenticed with Kaffe Fassett in England and has since been covered in The Toronto Star, Vogue Knitting, Family Circle Knitting, Maclean’s Magazine, the National Post and CBC Radio. Filmmakers Ian Daffern and Omar Majeed are making a documentary about Kirk and his work.

Director Jennifer Tarver,most recently Artistic Director of Necessary Angel Theatre Company between 2013 and 2019, has directed for Soulpepper Theatre, The Tarragon Theatre, Canadian Stage Company, Nightwood Theatre, and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. During five seasons at Stratford, her work included Waiting For Godot, The Homecoming, Krapp’s Last Tape, Zastrozzi and King of Thieves. Jennifer’s recent work in the US includes Krapp’s Last Tape in Chicago, and Hedda Gabler in Connecticut.Jennifer was also Associate Director at The Theatre Centre in Toronto from 2004-2012.

The Knitting Pilgrimwas workshopped by Ergo Arts Theatre in 2018. Established in 1992 by Artistic Director Anna Pappas, Ergo Arts Theatre strives to promote creative thought, innovative expression and empathy through the performing arts. Its goal is to make the art of theatre accessible to all – to be a part of a collective artistic experience that enhances the way people think, live and communicate.

During the Toronto Fringe, the play will be seen at Bloor Street United Church, Toronto (times/dates below). The show is touring Ontario, with 40+ stops at The Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa Fringe Festivals, many places of faith, Theatre Kingston, and Blyth Festival. Knitting is encouraged during the show if audience members are so inclined (#BYOK) – with Kirk planning to use the audience’s knitting in a forthcoming mystery project.

Stitched Glass was supported by the Ontario Arts Council through the Chalmers Foundation. The Knitting Pilgrim was supported by the Toronto Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.

After it’s making its world debut at Fringe World 2016 and two years successfully touring Australia and Canada, the award-winning show finally makes it’s Toronto debut as part of Fringe! A Sci-Fi Buddy-Comedy about a man who lives in another man’s beard from the bizarre mind of Festival-favourite Shane Adamczak (Trampoline, Zack Adams, Canadian Just For Laughs Award Winner and producer of other ★★★★★ Fringe hits This Is Not A Love Song and Vicious Circles).

When a scientific accident causes a mild-mannered janitor to shrink and get stuck in another man’s beard, their unlikely friendship might be exactly what the two directionless men need to set them on the path toward being better men that proves that even the smallest people can do big things.

Featuring one of Australia’s most established Indy Theatre performers; Shane Adamczak and new Canadian cast-member Al Lafrance (The Quitter, JFL Award-Winner) the show combines physical theatre, storytelling, musical comedy and indie-rock. The Ballad Of Frank Allen promises to be a festival experience like no other and one of the most weird and original shows you’ll catch at this year’s Toronto Fringe!

Toronto, 1919 – Frankie’s Laundry is THE swinging hotspot – and not just for washing clothes. Frankie and his tap dancers are gunning to be the number one bootlegging operation, but his competition thinks otherwise. Can Frankie’s gals dance their way out of this one? The Laundry List will whisk you back to the golden age of jazz, flappers and gangsters. With live music, singing, and tap dancing, this cast of 13 will leave you with a song in your heart and a skip in your step.

The Roaring Twenties was the birthplace of women empowerment and the rise of tap dance and jazz music. The Laundry List is an original story that shines a spotlight on the strong female flappers who were trailblazers in women’s rights. They rebelled against gender inequality, including defying Prohibition, and bootlegging alcohol. The Laundry List is both unique and entertaining because it is a story told through tap dance. The show features 6 professional female tap dancers as it’s lead characters. Highlighting both vaudeville and rhythmical styles of tap dancing, the two are intertwined seamlessly and compliment the intriguing original story that is, The Laundry List.